Raizen lounged on a plush chair with his head propped against his hand. He watched, with half-open eyes and a vacant gaze, as one participant after another bashed at a floating, transparent shield a few meters away. The barrier had been created by him, with the defense spell [Magic Shield].

He was overseeing the Combat Tournament's qualifying test. The test was simple. To pass, all a participant had to do was destroy his barrier in ten hits or less.

He thought that the task was beneath him. After all, he was the Dominion's head mage, a title given only to the most powerful mage. However, he understood that he was the most suitable person for the task.

The strength of the barrier created by [Magic Shield] was dependent on the magical power of its caster. A barrier created by a mage with greater magical power could take many times more damage than one created by a mage with weaker magical power. To ensure a fair test, all participants were tasked with breaking a barrier put up by the same mage.

This year, there were hundreds of people taking the test. Anyone could apply except for ranged fighters and the Dominion's knights. The line of people trying to qualify for the tournament extended far outside the coliseum. Many of them were drawn to the huge amount of prize money. If a mage weaker than him oversaw the test, then too many participants would qualify and the tournament would drag on for days.

The qualifying test had started early in the morning. By late afternoon, only nine participants had qualified. Most of those who passed broke his barrier in eight to ten attacks.

He yawned. "Next."

Next up was a warrior in black armor. Raizen leaned forward in his chair and narrowed his eyes. A powerful pressure emanated from the warrior. It was even greater than the one he felt from the genius swordsman who had won the tournament sixteen years ago. That swordsman, who held the record for breaking his barrier in the fewest number of hits, was the current knight commander.

Could this be another genius swordsman? Perhaps he could even do it in four hits, like the knight commander.

The warrior stepped up to the barrier and slashed. His blade passed through it.

An illusion?

The question in Raizen's mind was answered when his barrier split in half and shattered into countless particles of light.

That was definitely not an illusion.

Raizen trembled and the color drained from his face. His defense spell had just been obliterated in one stroke. It didn’t appear to offer any more resistance than air. If he’d been directly behind it, then he too would have been cut in half.

"Did I pass?" The warrior sheathed his sword.

"Huh?"

"I was asking if I passed."

"Yes, of course! You passed with flying colors! Hahaha!" As Raizen laughed, he glanced at the warrior from the corner of his eye.

Good, it doesn't look like he noticed my trembling.

"That's good to hear."

Raizen cleared his throat. "What is your name?"

"Hupo."

Hupo? I've never heard of that name before.

Raizen wrote the warrior's name on a parchment and handed it to the him. "Here's a certificate indicating that you've passed the qualifying test. Bring it with you tomorrow morning to the coliseum."

The warrior thanked Raizen and turned to leave.

Raizen slumped in his chair and sighed. He had never felt so vulnerable in his life.

"Can you put up another magic shield?"

The voice came from the next participant line.

"Quiet, you! It's not like you can put a scratch on it anyways!"

The participant frowned and lowered his head.

Raizen felt ashamed at his own outburst. "Sorry, here's another one. Magic Shield."

A new barrier appeared in place of the destroyed one. After taking ten of the participant's attacks, it didn’t even have a scratch on it.

***

Hupo felt a fluttery feeling in his stomach. His first match in the Combat Tournament was about to begin. He had spoken in front of a large audience before, but he had never fought in front of one.

When the gamemaster introduced him, he walked through the entrance of the arena into a chorus of cheering. He glimpsed at the audience above him. There were rows upon rows of seats around the arena, filled with people.

Watching the strong fight seems to be a popular activity here too.

World of Lorecraft had its own eSports league. It was an international competition that drew professional players from all over the world. Each annual season of play concluded with the World of Lorecraft Championship Tournament. Every year, tens of millions of people tuned in to the live broadcast of the tournament.

He heard a booming voice.

“On the other end of the arena, we have Rasputan!”

Amidst the cheering, Hupo looked for the source of the voice. It came from a tall, plump man, who stood on a high balcony at one end of the coliseum.

That must be the gamemaster. How can his voice be so loud and clear? Is he using magic to magnify his voice?

Facing Hupo was a thin man with sleek black hair. Woven onto his clothes were intricate golden patterns and sparkling jewels. The slender pointed sword in his hand appeared to be optimized for thrusting.

He glared and pointed his sword at Hupo. "I've never seen armor like yours before. You're an outsider, aren't you? Wearing that ridiculous outfit... are you looking down on warriors? I was thinking about holding back, out of pity, but I've changed my mind after seeing your joke of an armor."

"I'm Hupo, nice to meet you too, uh... Raspy?"

"It's Rasputan! Why aren't you drawing your sword?"

"You don't seem strong enough for me to use it."

Compared to the werewolves that Hupo had fought when he first entered this world, the pressure his opponent emitted was tiny.

"What did you say?"

Hupo pulled out a small knife from his pocket dimension. "This should be enough."

The knife in his hand was the Ultra Rare weapon {Undestroyable Table Knife}. In World of Lorecraft, rarity was classified into four tiers: Common, Uncommon, Rare, and Ultra Rare. An item's power usually corresponded with its rarity.

{Undestroyable Table Knife} had a single cutting edge and a blunt end. Besides butter, there was not much else that its blade, which was only as long as his finger, could cut. Its blunt end also made it useless as a piercing weapon. Why, then, was a seemingly useless knife Ultra Rare? The answer lay in its name - as it suggested, the weapon couldn’t be destroyed. It was made from immortium, the rarest and strongest metal in World of Lorecraft.

Rasputan's eye twitched. "How rude! I'll make you eat your words!"

The bell rang, indicating the start of the match.

Rasputan lunged forward and thrust his sword at Hupo.

Hupo parried the attack.

Their blades became a blur as they clashed.

Hupo advanced while swinging his knife. He looked as though he was strolling through a park.

Rasputan retreated. High, low, left, right, he thrust at Hupo again and again.

But not only did Hupo parry all of Rasputan's blows, he also landed blows of his own. He continued advancing.

Rasputan continued retreating.

When his back touched the wall, Rasputan threw his hands in the air. "Wait, I give up!"

Hupo put his knife away and turned around to leave.

"Wow! With a tiny knife, Hupo managed to beat back -" The gamemaster stopped midsentence.

Hupo sensed killing intent behind him. From sound alone, he was able to construct a second by second mental image of Rasputan's position and movements.

A voice came from behind him. "Die!”

"Flash Step." Hupo instantly shifted his body one step to the side.

"What?" Rasputan's thrust missed him.

As Rasputan passed him, Hupo delivered a knife-hand strike to the side of Rasputan's neck. It was a move he had seen in action movies. His mind and body seemed to know exactly how to execute it, even though he had never practiced it before.

The strike rendered Rasputan unconscious but otherwise unharmed.

As Hupo walked away, he received a standing ovation from the audience.